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The story of the virtuoso Joseph Benesch, the Philharmonic Society in Ljubljana, and the honorary diploma to Niccolò Paganini

Published on: June 20, 2022

Did you know that Joseph Benesch (1795–1873) met the famous violinist Niccolò Paganini in Trieste in 1824 and presented him with an honorary diploma from the Ljubljana Philharmonic Society? In the accompanying letter, the Philharmonic Society invited Paganini to give a concert in Ljubljana. Benesch was one of the earliest imitators of the famous violinist and was active in the Capital of Carniola for six years (1822–1828). Later he played in Vienna alongside the violinistic elite of his time, such as Joseph Mayseder, Joseph Böhm, Leopold Jansa, Jakob Dont, Georg Hellmesberger, and Joseph Hellmesberger.

You can read more about Benesch and the violinists of his time in the following English article written by dr. Maruša Zupančič: https://doi.org/10.3986/dmd18.1-2.01

The study on Joseph Benesch is the result of the project J6–9386, financed by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS).